Flood In Makurdi: All You Need To Know About It

Makurdi, Benue gets hit hard by flood and here’s all we know about it.

We’ve all heard about Hurricane Harvey through one means or another. If you haven’t, it is the recent storm that hit the state of Texas in the United States. While they deal with Harvey across the ocean, we also have a natural disaster in Makurdi, Nigeria.

The disaster is a flood which occurred Benue State. It has destroyed a lot of towns and villages in the state, including the state’s capital, Makurdi. Thousands of homeless, bridges, roads, culverts, drainage, and millions worth of property are all in damaged conditions as a result of the flood. Many are in search of emergency centers and safe havens. There have been no official death reports.

How The Flood Began

The flood started as a continuous rainfall that began on the twilight of Saturday two weeks ago. It rained non stop for about 4 days. The flood submerged a huge part Makurdi and there are still indications that the worse is yet to come. The 25 communities which are recovering from the flood are: Idye, Achusa, Logo, Wadata, Kucha Utebe, Genabe, Behind Civil Service Commission, Nyiman Layout, Uniagric Community, Behind Bem Hotel, Katungu, Aboughoul Wadata, Moon Community, Behind GTB and Demekpe.

According to SEMA (Benue State Emergency Management Agency), this is is the worst flooding since the 2012 River Benue surge. The States Commissioner of Water Resource and Environment, Dr Terlumun Utesev, said:

We were aware that there would be a flooding but it was the magnitude that we didn’t know.

The Aftermath Of Makurdi’s Flood

One of the main reasons for the magnitude of loss is due to the ignorance of the residents in the area. He said, “Though we had before now sent out warnings, people took it for granted and failed to abide by the instructions government issued.” Dr Utesev said the state government had attempted to create drainage in and around the state’s capital to reduce the effects of the flood.

The governor of the state, Governor Samuel Ortom, expressed his shock at what he saw on ground. He gave several comments and statements of condolence to the flood victims. Governor Ortom instructed the State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) in cooperation with National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to cater for the affected and displaced victims. The governor also urged the Federal government to consider release of ecological funds to Benue. He said “If urgent steps are not taken, we might have a repeat of the sad experience of 2012.”

We should attempt to support the victims of the flood in prayers and by finding ways to send them aid, #PrayForMakurdi